


i can't hold you tomorrow, but i hold you in my heart

by elderscrolls



Category: Pyre (Video Game)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Canon, and also sadder than i meant it to thinking about canon, everyone's extremely out of character but it's ok because it's pre-trauma, the timeline's fucked up because i couldn't make heads nor tails of the canon one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:47:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21679237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elderscrolls/pseuds/elderscrolls
Summary: The Nightwings have time to unwind before their next Rite, and Volfred and Oralech choose to spend theirs together.
Relationships: Oralech/Volfred Sandalwood
Kudos: 7





	i can't hold you tomorrow, but i hold you in my heart

**Author's Note:**

> pyre sure was a video game huh

For once, the Nightwings had some time before a Rite - almost an entire day, in fact. They weren’t entirely sure how the stars had aligned to make that possible, but they were taking the time to unwind, the wagon hidden in a small grove near where the Rite would take place later that night. Most everyone was already outside, taking advantage of the sunlight that for once was pleasant instead of scorching; when Oralech poked his head out of the wagon, eyes still bleary from his midday nap, their small campground was already abuzz with activity. Tariq sat cross-legged in the grass, strumming quietly as, nearby, Erisa set out feeding the drive-imps. 

Oralech felt a twinge of annoyance at the sight - he liked feeding the drive-imps, mostly due to the exaggerated faces they made while they ate, and the way they purred contendedly if you stroked their feathers during. He had made a game of tossing the food to different places and watching them swarm, which, come to think of it, was probably why he was not doing it right now.

Meanwhile, Volfred sat in a patch of sunlight, a book propped open on his lap - he was reading intently, barely stirring except occasionally to turn a page. By means of inserting himself into the activity, Oralech sat beside him, and when he received no recognition, draped himself across the book and grinned up at Volfred. “Hello, my dear friend. Fancy meeting you here.”

“Fellow Exile,” Volfred remarked drily, gently brushing Oralech’s hair away from the page so that he could continue reading. “You’re worse than a cat.”

“Thank you.” Oralech flashed him another winning smile, making sure to show off his fangs - they had been the first things to start growing in after a year or two in the Downside. “I miss cats, you know that? I haven’t seen any since getting here. The drive-imps are cute and all, but…” he let out an exaggerated sigh.

Volfred nodded, though his eyes still skimmed the page. They sat in silence for a while longer, the only words exchanged being Volfred asking Oralech to lift his head so that he could turn the page, until finally, Volfred said, “I can teach you how to read, if that’s something you’re interested in.”

“If I learn to read, you won’t have anything to do around here,” Oralech joked. He waved a dismissive hand, attempting to swat away with it the all sorts of mixed feelings that particular sentiment brought up. “I’m good, but thanks. And stop trying to read my mind,” he added sternly, to which Volfred gave a fond roll of his eyes.

“Reading is a useful skill, and-” Volfred started, but he was cut off by a loud _HREE-KEE!_ as a familiar little drive-imp came blazing towards them, barreling into Oralech’s chest. He let out a soft grunt from the impact, cradling the drive-imp close for a moment.

“Come on, Ti’zo, what’s wrong?” Oralech prompted softly, gently prying Ti’zo away from his shirt so that he could get a better look at him. “Aw, did someone get a little rough while you guys were eating?” He asked, running a thumb over the sizable chip in the drive-imp’s horn. Ti’zo let out an affirming coo. “Come on, buddy, we’re not gonna let a little scrape like that stop us, are we?” When Ti’zo chirped enthusiastically, he continued, “exactly! Here, I’ve got just the thing for you.” He sat up straight, set the drive-imp on his knee, and started to rummage in the satchel slung around his waist, producing a small roll of red bandages.

Ti’zo was remarkably still as Oralech wrapped the material around his horn, and before he cut it, Oralech wrapped a small amount around his own arm. He then cut them apart, tying off Ti’zo’s section before tying off his own. “See this?” He asked, lifting his arm. “As long as we’ve got these, I’ll be there for you. You don’t have to worry about any little scrapes or scratches like that as long as I’m around. And I trust you’ll be there for me, too?” Ti’zo answered this by letting out an extremely loud squawk and barreling once more into the man’s chest, a purr rising in his throat.

Oralech snorted and ruffled the feathers on Ti’zo’s head, before looking up and catching Volfred’s eye - Volfred was watching silently, a soft smile on his lips and an even softer light in his eyes. He seemed to snap out of it somewhat at Oralech’s glance. “What would we do without you?” 

“You’d be fucked.”

A third voice intervened. “That we would.” Erisa had approached, and she squatted down to rub Ti’zo’s head, who let out a contented chirrup. “Thanks for taking care of him, I was trying to wrangle the rest of those little menaces.” She scooped him up, cradling him close to her chest, and he rubbed against her chin. “Would you mind starting on dinner, Oralech?”

Oralech let out an exaggerated groan, pushing to his feet. “I _guess_.” An idea hit him, and he grinned down at Volfred, who arched an eyebrow. “I’ll let you teach me how to read if you let me teach you how to cook.”

“Deal.” Volfred accepted the hand Oralech offered, and Oralech pulled him to his feet. 

“Come on, help me set everything up.” Oralech squeezed the Sap’s hand, running a thumb over Volfred’s wooden one, before letting go and starting to put everything together. Before long, they had a small fire set up, and their metal pot set up over it, already filled with boiling water. 

“Perfect.” Oralech clapped his hands together, before starting to rummage around in the canvas supply bags that had been left by the door of the wagon. “Now, we only have howler meat, so we’re just gonna make a dish I like to call, ‘throwing shit together and hoping it tastes a little less like shit that way’. I think… we have some berries? Yeah, here we are.” He tossed a handful of something round and purple into the water. “What do you say we put one of these fish in there?”

“I say you’re going to kill us all.” Volfred responded.

“Come on, a little bit of surf and turf. What’s not to love?” Oralech thought back to those rare dinners he had had back in the Commonwealth, where he had been able to afford something a little more lavish. 

“Many things. This root might balance out the flavor?” Volfred produced something gnarled and twisted from another bag.

“Good thinking, my protégé.” Oralech clapped him on the shoulder before taking the root and tossing it into the pot with a loud _plop!_

“Alright, let’s get to chopping up the meat.”

They managed to get all the way to the process of stirring before Volfred’s arm caught on fire.

“Oralech?”

“Yeah?”

Volfred wordlessly raised his flaming arm, and Oralech let out a startled sound, his first instinct being to slap at Volfred’s arm - to which Volfred smacked him away with his non-burning hand. “That’s not working, we need to do something else- water?”

Volfred started to pick up the spare nearby bucket, but Oralech hurriedly went, “no, no, it’s a grease fire, that won’t- here-” he untied the cloak around his waist, alternating between beating the flame and trying to wrap the cloak around Volfred’s arm to smother it, until they finally had it out. The scent of the sweet smoke had Oralech’s stomach turning, and he plopped down on the ground, half to stop the world from spinning and half from simple exhaustion. “Here, uh, sit down, I’ll treat the… the wood? I’m not a botanist, but I can give you something that should soothe the pain?”

Volfred settled next to him, and he produced one of the plants from his satchel, snapping it in half and starting to smear the gel that leaked out onto the charred wood. “I swear, you guys would be lost without me. I bet next Erisa’s gonna come by saying she managed to break her arm while she was training. And you, my good sir, seem to get injured somehow on the daily.”

“As long as you’re the one tending my wounds, I can’t say I mind at all.” Volfred replied.

Oralech rolled his eyes in an attempt to hide the fact that dear Scribes, that sent his heart racing. “Oh, yeah? Want me to kiss it better?” Without waiting for a reply, he gently lifted Volfred’s hand and planted a kiss on the back of it, where the wood was slightly less charred than the rest.

“You’re the king of romance, but I’m afraid the soup is burning.”

With a yelped curse, Oralech scrambled to his feet, hurriedly returning to stirring. “Say that first, damn it!” Despite the tone, he chuckled to himself as he kicked dirt over the cooking fire, and he shot Volfred a mischievous look. “Since you failed at learning to cook, I don’t think I should have to learn to read.”

“I did not _fail_ \- get back here!” Oralech was already bolting away as Volfred realized and stood, a laugh slipping past his lips. He sidestepped as Volfred warped close to him, but at the next warp Volfred tackled him from behind, wrapping thick wooden arms around his waist and sending both of them tumbling to the ground.

“No fair!” Oralech managed through his laughter, writhing in Volfred’s grip until he had managed to turn over so he was face-up. He laced his fingers through Volfred’s and half-heartedly attempted to shove the Sap off of him, getting absolutely nowhere with it. “I can’t teleport, that’s cheating!"

“Trying to run away is cheating, too,” Volfred pointed out, a rare grin splitting his face. “Come on, say you’ll let me teach you.”

“Never!” Oralech insisted, then paused as soft lips pressed against his own. He leaned into the kiss for a moment before pulling away, resting his forehead against Volfred’s. “Alright, I’ll consider it.” He pushed away the flicker of fear that rose up at the thought of such a taboo, smothering it quickly. He wasn’t in the Commonwealth, anymore; and even once he returned, they wouldn’t be able to arrest him for it. Hopefully. He wasn’t sure what the verdict was on re-exiling.

“It’ll be fun, you’ll see. I’m a renowned teacher.” 

“Renowned for being exiled?” Oralech teased.

“Renowned for excelling in my work.” Volfred gave Oralech another quick kiss before letting him up, extending a hand to help him to his feet. “You’ll see; we’ll make a Reader out of you yet.”

Back in camp, Volfred settled down with the same book he had had open before, producing a paper and some sort of quill. He started scribbling down various symbols from the text, while Oralech scooped some of the now-lukewarm soup - it looked like Erisa and Tariq had already taken their fill - into wooden bowls before sitting next to him, handing him a bowl before peering over his shoulder to watch. Oralech took a sip from his own bowl and grimaced. It wasn’t the worst he’d had in the Downside, but it was definitely up there.

It wasn’t long into the lesson before Ti’zo flapped up to them, letting out an inquisitive _hree-kaw?_

“I’m teaching Oralech here how to read,” Volfred explained, holding out his hand and letting Ti’zo perch on it. Ti’zo climbed further up until he was on Oralech’s shoulder, chattering more. Volfred scritched at his chest feathers, murmuring things Oralech couldn’t hear but were probably baby-talk, and eventually started to make soft kissy noises at Ti’zo.

Ti’zo responded by promptly biting him on the lip.

Volfred jerked back with a shout, unsettling Ti’zo from his perch and sending the drive-imp to perch unsteadily on top of Oralech’s head, which was currently bent down, as he was doubled over laughing. “It’s not funny,” Volfred insisted, running a thumb over where a small trickle of greenish liquid leaked from the mark on his lip. “I do hope it doesn’t scar.”

“I don’t know, I think you’d look good with some scars. Makes you look tough.” Oralech said once his laughter had subsided. “Come on, let’s get back to the lesson. The stars are gonna align soon.”

And soon, align the stars did - a cold breeze had started to whip through after the sun had set, biting through Oralech’s raiments with unexpected ferocity. The group stood at the ready, fidgeting with their masks. Tariq had already lit the pyre for them, before stepping back and settling somewhere in the shadows to tune his lute. Their adversaries for the night had arrived moments ago, a group of Curs, and were just finishing lighting their Pyre. 

The leader of the Fate stepped forward and undid her mask, her furry features barely highlighted by the light of the stars. Oralech couldn’t remember her name - they had competed once before, but that had been long ago. “A pleasure to challenge you again, Nightwings. Good luck tonight,” she called out.

“And to you as well,” Volfred responded, undoing his mask to show his face. “May the most worthy of us triumph tonight.”

“You shouldn’t be wishing the enemy luck,” Erisa muttered as Volfred stepped back into their ranks.

“They’re not our enemy. We’re all in the same situation here,” Volfred responded, and Erisa let out a huff before turning her face to the sky, the celestial orb streaking downwards right on cue. It slammed into the ground with a rumble, and the field exploded into action - Volfred threw down his Sapling, and Oralech was already darting forward, his fingers closing around the hot ball of energy. He skidded to the left, narrowly avoiding the aura blast from one of the Curs, but now his way towards the Pyre was blocked; he cursed, taking a step back, only to spot another Cur blurring towards him. _Shit_.

“Oralech, dammit, throw it to me!” Erisa called out from somewhere beyond his wall of enemies, and he saw her long hair bob in the distance as she skirted around them.

“I’m fine, I can just-” he started with a frustrated snarl, interrupted by a flash of light as one of the Curs flanking him disappeared in brilliant repentance. Erisa blurred towards him, snatching the orb and spinning away, and he was helpless as the leader of the Curs banished him with a decisive blast of her deep purple aura..

He _hated_ the feeling of being banished. Enveloped in a warm, dark sort of nothingness, not quite searing but feeling like it should be, entirely useless to his friends. The familiar fear that maybe this time he wouldn’t leave begin to ensnare him, twisting and tearing into his skin with its deadly thorns until the field opened before him again, and he took a deep, shuddering breath, desperately scanning the field. Erisa had scored, it seemed - the enemy’s pyre was just a bit dimmer now, if he wasn’t mistaken, and she was nowhere to be seen. One of the Curs was barreling towards them, until Volfred warped right into him, grasping the orb before hurling it right back towards Oralech.

He wasn’t keen on being banished again already, but he weaved his way through the Curs, leaping to avoid one and plunging into the pyre, that holy fire licking hungrily around him, his raiments the only thing between him and a fiery demise.

The rest of the Rite was somewhat of a blur - with the exception of one of the Curs managing to hurl the orb into the pyre during a brief pause where all of them had been banished, they managed to extinguish the pyre with not nearly as much difficulty as expected. Oralech kept his distance from Erisa, defaulting to allowing her to deal the blows, and she did so with a stunning ferocity he rarely saw in her. She usually was fairly meek around the Nightwings, a little less so after they had managed to gain her trust, but she without fail was fiercely determined during the Rites.

With a decisive leap, the Rite was over. Normally, Oralech felt a buzzing sort of pride, but now he only felt exhaustion tugging at his bones. “Erisa, what in the Scribes’ name was that about?” He asked as they began to put out their own pyre and pack up their things, his tone more harsh than he had intended.

Erisa narrowed her eyes at him, her lips twisting into a scowl. “I don’t see the issue. We won, and I didn’t break any rules.”

“You broke _me!_ ” He snapped. “Believe it or not, Rites are a lot easier when we’re working together instead of leaving each other to be banished.”

“It doesn’t matter _how_ we win as long as we win,” Erisa insisted, but before Oralech could retort, Tariq stepped in, his voice soft but easily drawing attention.

“Congratulations on your victory, Nightwings. I believe celebration is in order, but first, perhaps we should divine our next path?” He suggested, one hand drifting to fidget with the strings of his lute. Reluctantly, still grumbling among themselves, the Nightwings assembled to gaze up at the stars - and indeed, the stars pointed them towards their next Rite.

They scattered among their camp afterwards. Erisa started to set up one of their training dummies, but Tariq approached her - Oralech couldn’t hear the words exchanged, but with a scowl on her face Erisa set the dummy down and started to clear a space for them to sit down on the ground, where Tariq gracefully settled and produced a deck of cards, starting to deal them one at a time between himself and Erisa. She occasionally shot fuming glances at Oralech, but she seemed to calm down, nodding as Tariq spoke softly to her.

“Oralech.” Volfred appeared at his side, giving him a worried look. “You got scraped up a little worse than usual. Let me tend to your injuries.” He started to reach for the satchel around Oralech’s waist.

“I can tend my own injuries,” Oralech said, but he handed the satchel to Volfred and let the Sap guide him into a sitting position.

“I know you can. I have to disinfect everything first, correct?” Volfred asked, starting to produce the small bottle of rubbing alcohol from the bag.

“Unless you want me to die of infection,” Oralech joked, and Volfred gave him a withering look. He hung his head exaggeratedly in shame. “I’m only kidding. Yeah, you need to disinfect them first. It doesn’t look any of these need stitches, just bandages to keep them clean.”

Volfred nodded, dispensing the alcohol onto a cloth and starting to gently drag it along the various cuts and scrapes. Oralech watched quietly, finally saying, “you’re a quick learner.”

“I’ve tended minor injuries before. Students would get in fights with one another, or have run-ins with the Commonwealth’s law enforcement.” He paid careful attention to his work, his hands gentle as they could be. “Watching you has certainly helped, though. You’re very talented in your field.” 

Oralech nodded absently, his mind drifting to the battlefields. “I was a lot more useful back then. I don’t have half the medical supplies I used to.” 

Volfred gave his hand a soft squeeze. “Of course you’re just as useful as you were in the Commonwealth. You’ve saved our lives countless times, have you not? And where would little Ti’zo be without you?”

Oralech lifted a hand to gently cup Volfred’s face, the bark a rough but not unwelcome texture against his skin, and leaned in to capture his lips in a gentle kiss, hovering for a moment before pulling away again. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

“I should be thanking you.”

A throat cleared behind them, and they turned to see Erisa. Tariq hovered behind her, looking somewhat like a harried mother forcing her child to apologize for stealing his playmate’s cookie. “I just wanted to say, uh…” Erisa glanced at Tariq, who nodded encouragingly. “I’m sorry. I endangered you, Oralech, and I endangered all of us by jeopardizing our friend and acting selfishly.” She paused for a moment, then held her hand out to Oralech. “Yeah?” She tried.

Oralech accepted her hand, giving it a small shake. “Apology accepted… thank you, Erisa. That means a lot. And I’m sorry for giving you a hard time about it.”

“Apology accepted.” She flashed him a somewhat hesitant grin and stood straight. “I’m going to, uh, retire for the night then.” She gave them a lazy salute before making her way into the wagon, exchanging a few words with Tariq. Tariq watched her go for a moment before settling down on the small set of unfolded stairs that led into the wagon, beginning to pluck out a tune.

Volfred was silent for a long time. “She worries me, sometimes.”

Oralech nodded, letting out a long breath. “I love her to death, but she’s… determined. We all want to get out of here, but the Rites are about being a team. A family. We’re nothing without each other, and I fear she isn’t seeing that.”

“We can only hope she stays true to her word,” Volfred agreed. “She may just need some kindness to guide her. She’s had it rough.”

“Do you remember when we first met?” Oralech said after a pause, shooting him a grin.

Volfred glared at him. “Oralech-”

“We found you, passed out on the ground. Or, rather, Ti’zo had found you, and he-”

“-he tried to make a nest in my ear. Yes, I recall.” Volfred said drily. Oralech dissolved into laughter, and Volfred allowed himself a chuckle. “I was… inexperienced, to say the least.”

Oralech nodded. “We all were. But you learned. I’ve tried to teach Erisa, extend the same kindness to her, but she…” he sighed. “She thinks she needs to do everything on her own. And Brighton, he wasn’t helpful in trying to change her mindset. Maybe with you around we’ll do a little bit better, all of us.”

Volfred shifted closer to Oralech, running his fingers through his hair, and Oralech leaned into the touch, resting his head on Volfred’s shoulder. 

“I have hope,” Oralech said after a while. Volfred let out a soft hum, turning his attention back to him. “Hope that we’ll get out of here, that we’ll see the Commonwealth again. We have to, right?”

Volfred nodded, his expression determined. “We will. I’ll see to it. We’ll all see the Commonwealth again, I swear on it.”


End file.
